The 2013 edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) is a race we won’t soon forget. We saw records shattered, unpredictable weather, redemption for some, scary crashes for others, and a huge audience both on and off the mountain (and around the world). There was also a feeling of great expectation for the future, but we’ll get into that a little later.

There’s no denying the fact the participation of one Sebastien Loeb brought a lot of attention to this year’s race. Red Bull’s media blitz leading up to the Hill Climb helped bring in an audience that normally doesn’t pay much attention to a unique event like the PPIHC. That’s not to say his chosen ride for the race didn’t raise some eyebrows. Constructed by Peugeot Sport, his AWD 208 T16 Pikes Peak not only decimated the previous record, but it also broke through a barrier many thought would last a long time – nine minutes.

However, some say since it’s now completely paved, the race is not the same. We can’t argue with that, it isn’t the same race it was. The car control previously required to slide up the mountain was otherworldly. In some ways, it makes Monster Tajima’s 10-minute barrier-breaking record run in 2011 all the more impressive on a mixed track of dirt, gravel, and pavement. But this change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The window is now open for new challenges. Case in point, Loeb’s jaw-dropping run of 8:13.878. With the asphalt laid all the way to the top, there are higher limits of adhesion, and the racers can achieve speeds unheard of even three years ago. Now, do other manufacturers come in and try to eclipse the eight-minute barrier? How fast can the more privately funded teams go? For the Hill Climb to move upward and onward, maybe the best thing to happen was paving.

Speaking of Tajima, last year he came out with an all-new electric vehicle to try and prove to the masses that EVs have a place on the hill. (We already know this is true; it’s just a matter of time until the bigger teams really commit to EVs.) Last year, he had to bow out because he had technical malfunctions at the start of his run. This year, with the same vehicle with minor alterations, he not only set the record for electric vehicles, but he also broke last year’s KOTM record, as well. Imagine what he could have done last year if everything was in working order.

Rhys Millen came out with his purpose-built Hyundai PM580T to set a new record and confront Loeb and Peugeot head-on. While the time Loeb laid down proved insurmountable, he destroyed his previous record by more than 40 seconds, which is a major feat in itself. He did mention he left a little time on the mountain so we look forward to seeing him well into the eights in 2014!

Jean-Philippe Dayraut also came out with less fanfare than his contemporaries, but he came to play ball. He overcame his crash last year and ran up the mountain with a 9:42.740, besting last year’s record in a Mini Countryman powered by an R35 GT-R engine. Attention Mini: You need to build this car for consumers!

One man who raised a lot of eyebrows was Carlin Dunne. Last year, he set the motorcycle record on a Ducati Multistrada, running a staggering 9:52.819. This year, Lightning Motorcycles picked him up, and he took his chances on an electric bike in one of the fastest-growing classes. While he didn’t break his existing record for a motorcycle, he did set a record for fastest electric bike with a 10:00.694 and took the 2013 KOTM motorcycle title – by a whopping 14 seconds!

A few drivers found redemption on the mountain in 2013, and Paul Dallenbach was one of them. After crashing out in dramatic fashion in 2012, he returned undaunted in Rhys Millen’s Time Attach Hyundai Genesis from last year and pretty much matched Rhys’ time almost exactly. For a guy who crashed out of the last two hill climbs, this was huge.

After TWO massive crashes, yes, TWO, Pat Doran actually got his RS200 back together and successfully ran a 10:14.187.

Rod Millen was another familiar face back on the mountain. He rekindled his class rivalry with Monster Tajima, this time racing electric cars instead of their traditional unlimited beasts. While he couldn’t best Tajima this year, he raced his Toyota TMG EV002 to a time of 10.24, finishing fourth in class. Not a bad return!

After Romain Dumas’ beat-by-a-hair finish last year to Rhys Millen, Dumas came back with a vengeance and one hell of a machine this year. His practice times by the end of the week showed he had a chance of challenging Loeb for the top spot and was a bit ahead of Rhys. Unfortunately, because of a technical malfunction, he made it only a mile up the course. We hope he’ll return next year with an even bigger chip on his shoulder.

After becoming an Internet celebrity with one of the scariest crashes on Pikes Peak last year, Jeremy Foley shook off the experience and returned in a Pontiac Solstice. Unfortunately for him, he threw a rod and couldn’t complete the race, once again. We’re happy to report, though, he gently pulled off to the side of the road this year.

Cody Loveland brought a ridiculous car last year and didn’t disappoint us this year. Unfortunately, his tube-framed, one-off, carbon-fiber, twin-turbo, LS1-powered Enviate suffered a mechanical malfunction in the first practice of the week when a control arm failed and he went piling into a rock less than a mile up the course. To add insult to injury (luckily, his were minor), the car caught fire and was essentially irreparable in time to race.

If you live in Colorado’s Front Range, you know that during the summer we always get afternoon showers and thunderstorms. Mother Nature did not disappoint this year. We knew we were in for it when it started to snow on Sebastien Loeb during his post race interview.

After that, the rains came and had a direct impact on the classes, just look at the guys who finished mid-pack in Time Attack. They got stuck in the middle of the downpour. If the rain wasn’t enough, fog rolled in, and some drivers reported visibility was less than 100 feet; not good when you have 156 turns to negotiate!

So, what is in store for the future for the Hill Climb? Though the race has had its ups and downs over the years, the attention brought to this year’s event is possibly a real break-through.

We’re certain that other manufacturers won’t want to let Peugeot hold the record. Audi, we’re looking at you. This used to be YOUR mountain. Look at what Peugeot did in a short amount of time with a relatively small team and borrowing a lot of off-the-shelf parts from their Le Mans program. Last we checked, Audi, you guys were pretty decent at Le Mans. Just saying.

Honda’s presence this year was awesome, as well, racing just about everything they make! And you can tell they were having fun, they were racing a freakin’ turbocharged Odyssey! This kind of enthusiasm is what the event needs.

One addition we’d like to see is more American manufacturers involved directly in the Unlimited class. Ford has extensive WRC and RallyCross experience that could lend itself to an ultra-competitive car. And we know Chevrolet can back a solid competitor, look no further than the marque’s past dominance at Le Mans with the Corvette. Heck, they could even build a Volt racecar for the Electric class to tout their technology.

All in all, we’re excited about the future, and we know a lot of the race sponsors are, too. Next year’s event promises even more, and you need to try to make it to Colorado to experience it in person!

Top Three Finishers By Class Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2013

Unlimited

Sebastien Loeb – 8:13.878, 1st overall

Rhys Millen – 9:02.192, 2nd overall

Jean-Philippe Dayraut – 9:42.740, 3rd overall

Time Attack

Paul Dallenbach – 9:46.001, 4th overall

David Donner – 9:53.581, 7th overall

Jeff Zwart – 10:13.856, 10th overall

Electric

Nobuhiro "Monster” Tajima– 9:46.530, 5th overall

Hiroshi Masuoka – 10:21.866, 13th overall

Greg Tracy – 10:23.649, 14th overall

Open Wheel

Clint Vahsholtz – 11:07.305, 32nd overall

Donner Billingsley – 12:06.840, 68th overall

Rodney O’Maley – 12:22.250, 77th overall

Pikes Peak Open

Randy Schranz – 11:21.410, 41st overall

Layne Schranz – 11:29.245, 44th overall

Robert Prilika – 11:33.437, 47th overall

Exhibition

Kenshiro Gushi – 12:03.085, 65th overall

Simon Pagenaud – 12:54.325, 96th overall

Sage Marie – 14:06.446, 123rd overall

Pikes Peak Vintage

Ralf Christensson – 12:08.507, 69th overall

Christopher Lennon – 12:16.837, 75th overall

John Jack Rogers – 12:30.306, 83rd overall

Pikes Peak 1205

Bruno Langlois – 10:21.323, 12th overall

Wes Orloff – 11:40.009, 52nd overall

Bobby Goodin – 11:46.728, 57th overall

Pikes Peak Superbike 750

Michael Henao – 10:31.499, 18th overall

James McKay – 11:09.460, 34th overall

Erik Dunshee – 11:41.938, 54th overall

Heavyweight Supermoto

Jeff Grace – 10:57.928, 26th overall

Joseph Bernard Toner – 11:04.319, 29th overall

Eric Piscione – 11:05.278, 30th overall

Pikes Peak 450

Jeffrey Tigert – 10:32.964, 19th overall

Davey Durelle – 10:38.697, 22nd overall

Dan Berendes – 10:56.724, 25th overall

Pikes Peak 250

Codie Vahsholtz – 11:24.792, 42nd overall

Jason Archuleta – 11:52.715, 60th overall

Matt Meinert – 12:02.029, 64th overall

Quad Modified

Michael Coburn – 11:05.874, 31st overall

Mike Ell – 11:09.995, 35th overall

Theo Bernhard – 11:38.810, 50th overall

Vintage Motorcycle

Dave Stock – 12:42.969, 89th overall

Bobby Spann – 12:53.110, 94th overall

Lloyd Hale – 13:00.684, 99th overall

Side car

Wade Boyd – 11:26.987, 43rd overall

Masahito Watanabe – 11:41.837, 53rd overall

Christophe Lebert – 12:15.250, 74th overall

Exhibition Powersports

Carlin Dunne – 10:00.694, 9th overall

Jake Holden – 10:24.058, 15th overall

James Compton – 10:33.832, 20th overall

Exhibition Powersports-Z

Jeff Clark – 12:00.978, 63rd overall

Jeremiah Johnson – 12:05.612, 67th overall

Troy Siahaan – 12:24.083, 79th overall

Cheers from Team Revvolution at the "Classy Corner" as we officially call an end to the 91st Running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grew up around cars and racing, a passion fueled by my whole family. Participated in numerous track days with cars and motorcycles as well as covered the NASA East Coast Honda Challenge for Grassroots Motorsports. Now that I'm in Colorado I'm enamored with the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb... borderline obsessive...

Maybe Audi will try there hand again or maybe Volkswagen both are running in Le,Mans or the WRC , though they do not have the services of Loeb who with out doubt is one of the greatest driver other there. how ever they do have his former team mate Sébastien Ogier who as proven to be as quick as Leob but tends to have big moments he is also well on the way to taking this years WRC championship , so maybe those German marks could make something. One of the biggest issues from most people here viewing over the feed was the poor TV coverage yes I was glad just to be able to see the event a first for me other than the classic Vids from the 80,s . you need more of everything some of the Camara work was poor & there was far to much talking & no action I think we all understand it not esay to run cable all over a mountain just for one event . Maybe you could look into the types of equipment use by the like of the Tour - de - France this all seems to work in the mountains though in a much slower event . No it all come down to having a bigger buget something thats hard to find in this day & age , I am sure with the right backing like a bigger inverstment from the like of Redbull this event could work on a world stage & in doing so would attract a bigger buget field wanting to show off there products. I wish you all the best for the future & hope that its is show all over the world next year even without the the likes of Audi.

How I wish I could have been there! Such good sceneries, thrills and excitement and most importantly you guys did a damn good job. Awesome just awesome! Keep up the good work btw the write up was fantastic. Hope those sponsors/manufacturers like Audi, Ford anf Chevrolet comes in. Will try to plan trip there next year!